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After Christmas day, Jimmy looked outside the window of his new house which he never thought in his wildest dreams could come true. He realized that things can make a turnaround even at the last minute. This new town was what he went to bed at night and dreamt about. It was an upstairs and downstairs house, and he knew that there was enough space to invite a few people over. The day was not that bright outside since it was still windy and cold, however, inside his heart and the home was warm enough. Jimmy observed closely that a bird was in a tree nearby over on the other side of his fence and it seemed to have sung the most beautiful melody he had heard in a long time. ‘How strange.’ he thought. He said this because he wondered how outside looked so cold and windy, yet this bird was singing away feeling content as though it wasn’t wintering, but summer or spring. From looking at the bird he realized that it was content with what it had. It had its feathers and musical voice of melodies. It didn’t require more or less, but just something in between. He looked at the streets once again, and he noticed that the time was changing a bit. It was early in the morning, seven-thirty to be exact and the sun seemed to be coming out a little. The fireplace in the house was lit and it kept the house warm. Jimmy had the idea of taking his daughter to the park early in the New Year. He knew without a doubt it would be like a winter wonderland he often heard stories about. When he was a child he learned the story of the Snow Queen Winter Wonderland. His mother always told him the Snow Queen wanted to keep a young man in her castle apart from his true love. In the end, the Queen married a servant in her kingdom and allowed the young man to return to his village to married the girl of his dreams. This story was what he remembered as he saw how white it was outside. Jimmy couldn’t tell which house was of what color. He knew his house was of pale blue and white. He had no problem with these colors, neither did his wife. At least, they were too busy rejoicing to be fully noticing the colors of the house. Jimmy’s dream was to always have a dog, however, he couldn’t get one due to his landlord’s allergies to dogs and cats. But he now knew with his own house he could get a dog or two. The front of the house could be used for a flower garden too, however, that would be for spring, not winter. Children could be seen on the streets now as the sun came out brightly and some were playing with each other. ‘I guess the neighborhood isn’t that crowded.’ He said to himself. Then, he remembered that it was still the holidays and school was out for the month. It was the end of the month, and he remembered that he was still out of work. His job down by Mcsperky Toys was up. Santa Claus wouldn’t be around for another year. He knew that another job would be necessary. ‘Probably, I’d start my own toy company or something of the sort.’ he thought to himself as he continued to look through the window of his room. Jessica wasn’t quite awake as yet, neither was Kathrine. They were on a day off. Jessica that night had dreamt of seeing a flying dragon aiming high up into heaven. The dragon she thought represented hope as it aimed for heaven. Jimmy’s dream of the black crow was no more. He saw crows in real life, but none that appeared in his dreams. He didn’t worry about dreams that much because he knew that his heart was content. He didn’t put his dreams that high, although they had to mean something. He thought about the little church on the street and how it had helped him so much. Even Greg and Chuck remembered how they weren’t any more thieves, but hard-working honest men. He remembered Bobby who a few weeks ago was living in a shelter, but now he had a good size apartment and even was busying helping other people. The mayor he remembered wasn’t arrogant or mean man, but was now quite helpful in meaningful ways. He saw a mail van driving through the neighborhood as the day came about in full view. He decided to get dress and go downtown to get that dog. He decided not to wait for the New Year, but to get it before the old year was finished. He put on his jacket and grabbed his car keys and got into the car. He drove downtown. He parked beside the mall and headed towards the animal shelter. There was also a pet shop nearby, however, he wanted a dog and not a small fish or hamster. Dogs were in the pet shop as well, but why would he pay for a dog when he could adopt one. Furthermore, he didn’t see any dog in the pet shop he liked. He walked into the animal shelter and there were many dogs. He chose a little white dog from the terrier breed and he called her name Hope. He signed the adoption papers and headed out towards his car. ‘Good girl.’ He said as he gently rubbed the dog’s head. He placed the dog in the front seat of his car. And he drove towards home. However, a few minutes into the drive he remembered that he needed food for it. There was a supermarket nearby and he went inside and grabbed the dog food quickly. The brand he bought was suitable for young pups and adults. He then headed towards his car. He started the engine and got going again. When he went home he placed the dog in a box under the Christmas tree and he went to Jessica’s room and called her. Jessica ran out of bed and headed towards his voice. He said, “Good morning, dear.”
The girl saw the box under the tree and saw the puppy inside. She was delighted and hugged it. She then hugged her father. She always wanted a dog.
“What’s her name?” she asked.
“Her name is Hope.” replied her father.
Kathrine heard the sound of talking downstairs and wondered what it might have been. When she came down she realized it wasn’t just Jessica and Jimmy, but there was also a new member of the family a dog named Hope. She was happy nonetheless. They were all happy. They ate around the table, and Hope ate from her dish on the floor. Afterward, Jimmy and his family took Hope for a walk through the neighborhood. Hope enjoyed the walk as it was good exercise. Jimmy and his family also saw how lovely the neighborhood was for themselves. There were a mini-park and other resources for their comfort. There were a lot of other houses, but it seemed that the residents hadn’t come out on the scene as yet. Jimmy could hear the sounds of their neighbors’ dogs who barked at Hope. This bark seemed to be the welcome note for Hope. They continued to walk and they reached the road. They looked down and their house couldn’t be seen clearly because of the distance. It was as though they were on a planet in which there was just white snow and the glaze of sunshine. It looked to be a white heavenly scene on earth. As far as they looked it was a white Christmas. They were a bit tired since they didn’t use to walking that far. Jessica seemed as though she couldn’t keep up. However, Hope seemed like she was just ready to run. The puppy jumped and barked for joy. She looked at her new family as though she wanted to race against them to see which was faster. But Jimmy looked at Hope and said, “No race girl. I’m tired.” When he said this Hope calmed herself and settled down. The dog seemed to have a good learning span in such a short time. Jimmy knew she was trainable from the moment he laid eyes on her. Jessica and Kathrine liked her a lot as well. Hope reminded Jimmy of his childhood dog Philistine. Philistine was a Labrador that Jimmy’s father gave to him for his thirteenth birthday. He liked playing with Philistine. However, one day there was a truck passing along the road and the dog ran after it and got killed. This was a long time, but Jimmy remembered it as though it was yesterday. Jimmy looked at the sky with a smile because he knew this day and the coming New Year would bring whispering hope.
